I, a Man

I, a Man
Directed byPaul Morrissey
Andy Warhol
StarringNico
Tom Baker
Valerie Solanas
Ingrid Superstar
Ultra Violet
Release date
  • August 24, 1967 (1967-08-24)
Running time
99 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

I, a Man is a 1967 American erotic melodrama directed by Andy Warhol. The film stars Tom Baker and features radical feminist Valerie Solanas, who attempted to assassinate Warhol in 1968.

Plot

The film follows Tom (Tom Baker) as he encounters, talks to, fights with, or has sex with six different women across New York City in a single day.

Cast

The cast featured several of Warhol Superstars from his studio The Factory:

Production

Warhol reportedly created the movie as a response to the popular erotic Scandinavian film I, a Woman, which had opened in the United States in October 1966.

Warhol cast Valerie Solanas in the film for $25, partly as compensation for a play she had given him titled Up Your Ass, which he had lost. In 1967, Warhol told the San Francisco Chronicle that Solanas headed a "very interesting" organization called the SCUM (Society for Cutting Up Men). "She believes in destroying all men," he said, adding, "I don't believe in her organization." The following year, Solanas attempted to assassinate Warhol by shooting him at the Factory.

According to a 2004 biography of Jim Morrison, Morrison agreed to appear in the film opposite Nico but later withdrew, sending his friend Tom Baker to take his place.

Release

I, a Man opened at the Hudson Theatre in New York City on August 25, 1967. The uncut reels were also included in Warhol's 25 hour film **** (Four Stars) in 1967.

Critical reception

Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun Times wrote the film was "not dirty, or even funny, or even anything but a very long and pointless home movie", and described it as "an elaborate, deliberately boring joke". Howard Thompson of the New York Times wrote: "The nudity is no match for the bareness of the dialogue's drivel and the dogged tone of waste and ennui that pervade the entire film".

See also

References

  1. ↑ "I, a Man (1967)". AFI Catalog. American Film Institute. 2024. Retrieved September 20, 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 Thompson, Howard (August 25, 1967). "The Screen:Andy Warhol's 'I, a Man' at the Hudson". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved October 11, 2026.
  3. ↑ Thomas, Kevin (August 9, 2001). "Sadness and Humor From Warhol". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 30, 2014.
  4. ↑ Warhol, Andy; Hackett, Pat (1980). POPism: The Warhol '60s. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. p. 271. ISBN 978-0-15-173095-7.
  5. 1 2 3 J. L. W. (September 1, 1967). "Andy Warhol And His Pals". San Francisco Chronicle. p. 48. Retrieved October 10, 2026.
  6. ↑ Shepard, Richard F. (June 4, 1968). "Warhol Gravely Wounded In Studio; Actress Is Held; Woman Says She Shot Artist, Who Is Given a 50-50 Chance to Live". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved October 10, 2026.
  7. ↑ Davis, Stephen (2004). Jim Morrison: Life, Death, Legend. Gotham Books. pp. 149–50. ISBN 9781101218273.
  8. ↑ Ebert, Roger (August 1, 1968). "I, A Man". Reviews. rogerebert.com. Retrieved October 30, 2014.